Sara Sitzer, Cellist

Tag Archives: strings

Out of all the members of the stringed instrument family, cellists are byfar the most boring. I’m not talking about their personalities or their musicalities, I’m talking string preference here. Go up to any professional cellist and ask them what type of strings they use and I’d say about 92% of them will answer: “Larsen on top, Spirocore on bottom.” You’ll get the occasional “Jargar for A and D” or maybe even a “Belcanto Gold on C”, but for the most part, we don’t mess around experimenting with new types of strings.

The problem with cello strings, though, is how obscenely expensive they are. Check out my shopping cart for one set of strings (A and D will last me 6 months, G and C will last a year).

String prices have skyrocketed over the last couple of years. The total in that shopping cart is over $100 more than I spent 2 years ago. That’s why I’ve decided to embark on a grand string experiment! I’ve started asking string companies if I can sample their strings, so that I can *hopefully* find a set that is just as high quality as the go-to Larsen/Spirocore combo, but without breaking the bank.

The first strings I tried were Crown. Coincidentally, Crown strings, which used to be an independent brand, were recently bought by Larsen. They’re now more expensive than they used to be, but they also have brand recognition now. A full set is just a little over $100.

Unfortunately, I was not hugely impressed with Crown. The A and D strings were strong, bright, and clear, but the lower strings completely lacked any depth. Playing on the C string made me feel like I had no rosin on my bow. It was exhausting trying to make a big, deep, rich sound on either of the lower strings. Here’s how I rated each string individually:

I might consider getting Crown A and D strings again in the future; if a Spirocore G and C could add some depth to balance them out, I might be sold. But I definitely would never put either of the Crown lower strings on my instrument again.

For next time….I just received word from Jargar strings that they will be sending me their new “Superior” model A and D strings to try! Stay tuned….